My name was Maa.
You could call me Ma-ah or Maa, or whatever you liked, but I would never forgive anyone who shortened my name to a single syllable. I was one of the Mountain Elves living in the Village of the Great Tree.
Or, rather, that was how it used to be.
Now, I was no longer in the village; I had taken up residence at the Academy in the Royal Capital. I had moved here to accompany the High Ogre, young Torain.
As for why I had come along... I suppose it was because Torain always provided the creative sparks I needed for my work. I was apparently quite lacking in imagination; while I was skilled at manufacturing existing items, I was poor at dreaming up new ones. Torain gave me all sorts of ideas, and he was always so happy whenever I turned those ideas into tools or gadgets.
That was the primary reason I joined him. Of course, another factor was that it was dangerous to take one’s eyes off him. Whenever I pointed that out, however, he would always sulk.
Now, I had expected Torain and me to live with Master Alfred, but for some reason, a brand-new house had been prepared for us right next door. It was quite spacious. Torain insisted it was just a typical family home, but I suspected it was more in line with a wealthy household. An average family home might have an attic, but it certainly wouldn't have a cellar. I wondered if his senses had been skewed from living in the Village Head’s Mansion for so long.
I decided I would need to take him on walks through the capital to recalibrate his common sense. Even so, I was grateful for the space. It allowed me to have a separate workshop and bedroom, plus plenty of room for materials and finished products.
I claimed the most practical room for Torain’s bedroom and took the one next to it for myself. I chose a room far from his as my development lab, mostly because I tended to make quite a bit of noise while working late into the night. There had been a suggestion to use the cellar for the lab, but given the materials I handled, poor ventilation could have been lethal. I decided the cellar would be better suited for use as a storehouse.
While the house had its own kitchen, Torain and I were scheduled to eat our meals next door at Master Alfred’s house. Technically, both of us could cook well enough, but Torain’s official purpose in the capital was to assist Mettora.
Mettora’s duties involved looking after Master Alfred, Lady Urza, and Lady Tiselle. She had two colleagues, Asa and Earth, but Asa was effectively assigned as Lady Tiselle’s personal butler for her trips to the Royal Castle, and Earth was busy gathering intelligence while running his shop. They were chronically shorthanded. I had my doubts about how much help Torain could actually be, but I suspected they had calculated my assistance into the equation as well. I didn't mind helping, of course.
Besides, eating together made it much easier to coordinate our efforts with Mettora. It served as an essential venue for exchanging information.
What surprised me most about those meals, however, was the occasional presence of the Demon King and his wife. Sometimes Beezel, Gratz, or Randan joined the table as well. I wondered if this was normal for them. Their mealtime conversations revolved entirely around the politics of the Demon Kingdom, often touching on things that sounded like state secrets. I spent half the time wondering if it was really alright for me to be hearing such things. I resolved to report everything to the Village of the Great Tree just in case.
Torain attended the Academy, though not exactly as a student. Initially, he was supposed to be there as a butler for Master Alfred and Lady Urza, but before I knew it, he had been enrolled as a full student. It seemed Master Alfred had pulled some strings, believing there were things Torain could only learn by being a peer. Torain had accepted the arrangement, though he apparently managed to earn enough Certificates of Graduation within a few days to graduate whenever he liked.
I, on the other hand, was given the choice of whether to enroll. Naturally, I declined. I might have been interested in an ordinary school, but a Noble Academy was a different beast entirely. There were far too many prerequisites regarding etiquette and manners for my liking.
While Torain spent his days shadowing Master Alfred and Lady Urza at the Academy, Lady Tiselle often visited the house. Despite being busy at the Royal Castle, she seemed to want to dote on her younger brother. One day, she invited Torain to go "fishing" with her.
I didn't think walking through the slums to lure out thugs counted as fishing. She claimed it was part of her nation-building project, but I had my reservations. The military was the one actually arresting the thugs, and she was offering them reduced sentences in exchange for labor in her new country, so it wasn't technically kidnapping... but still.
The Demon King had apparently given his blessing, so I decided not to overthink it. He really was far too soft on Lady Tiselle. My biggest concern was whether thugs who were stupid enough to pick on children would actually be useful as a workforce. Would they even work seriously? Well, that was Lady Tiselle’s problem to solve. I simply watched from a distance to make sure Torain didn't come to any harm.
...Though I did wonder why the thugs kept trying to pick a fight with me instead. Was it because I was a woman? The soldiers caught them easily enough, but because they had targeted me instead of him, they didn't count toward Torain’s "catch." He looked a little disappointed about that.
One day, Ya and the others from the Village of the Great Tree sent us a Garbage Bin with a Foot-Pedal Opening and Closing Mechanism, affectionately known as the Pakapaka. It wasn't the original model made by the Village Head, but a mass-produced version Ya’s team had manufactured. It was brilliantly simple.
Impressed, I immediately set to work and produced three replicas. One went into our kitchen. I didn't use it often, but I stepped on the pedal occasionally just for the satisfaction of it. Another went to Master Alfred’s kitchen, which delighted Mettora. As for the third...
The Demon King and his wife actually drew lots for it. His wife won. I supposed it didn't really matter who won since they lived together, but it turned out they were actually fighting over whether to install it in the Royal Castle or at the Academy. Since she won, it went to the Academy. The original "precious sample" Ya had sent was eventually relegated to the cellar for storage.
I soon discovered that the cellar had been converted into Lady Urza’s armory. Torain had told her she was welcome to store things there, but the sheer volume of weapons was staggering. With the cellar full, I headed to the attic.
There, I found Kierbit’s furniture. I was well aware that Kierbit wanted to marry Torain; I had heard plenty on the subject from Ann and Malbit. Kierbit had even followed him to the Academy for that very reason. She was supposed to have her own house on the grounds, so I had no idea why her furniture was in our attic.
It felt... wrong. Feeling a bit miffed, I had the soldiers help me ship it all back to her actual house. Thank you for the assistance, gentlemen.
Whenever Torain was at the Academy, I spent my time in the lab. I was currently focused on Research on Golems for Agricultural Use based on Torain’s ideas. When I finished a rough conceptual model, the Village Head had looked at it and muttered the word "Combine." It seemed I was still dancing in the palm of his hand. Even so, it was Torain’s idea, and I was determined to see it through to a functional state.
I was also researching power sources that didn't rely on golems. This was another of Torain’s concepts, specifically looking into the potential of steam. However, I had to order most of the prototype parts from the Village of the Great Tree, so progress was slow. Back in the village, I could have just described what I needed to Gatto and he would have forged it on the spot. Having to write out formal order forms was such a chore. I really did envy Beezel’s teleportation magic.
Oh, it was almost time for lunch. I headed over to Master Alfred’s house.
My afternoon would depend on Torain. Usually, he would continue his duties as a butler, but today Lady Tiselle had requested another fishing trip. Given that rumors were starting to spread, I suspected the "fishing" would be lean today. Still, I wouldn't stop him. I would just follow from a distance to make sure he stayed safe.
...Actually, since the thugs kept coming for me, maybe I should stay even further back. Understood.
For the record, Torain was actually quite strong. He was more than a match for common thugs. Lady Tiselle likely invited him precisely because she knew he could handle himself. I didn't believe for a second that she would ever put her brother in true danger.
As for how he compared to me? We would never fight, of course, but if we did... I liked to think my experience would give me the edge.
When Torain finally finished his fishing and we returned home, we found Lady Tiselle had already brought a mysterious old man into our house.
...I really should tell her this is getting to be a nuisance. She probably wouldn't listen to me, though, so I’d have to mention it to Master Alfred or Lady Urza. And if that failed, I would just have to report it to the Village Head.
Mountain Elf A: "Is it just me, or has work gotten a lot harder lately?"
Mountain Elf B: "That’s because Maa isn't here. She was our best specialist for mass production."
Mountain Elf A: "Ugh, we really did lose a vital asset, didn't we?"
Mountain Elf B: "Don't even think about trying to drag her back. She’d never forgive you."
Mountain Elf A: "...Is that so?"
Mountain Elf B: "She left the village specifically to follow him. I just hope things actually progress for them."
Mountain Elf A: "Kierbit is going to be a problem, though."
Mountain Elf B: "Quite the opposite. She’ll provide the necessary motivation."
Mountain Elf A: "I-I see. I have much to learn."
Mountain Elf B: "Indeed. Now, enough gossip. Get back to work."